Proponents of a bill that would allow a Gary casino to move to a land-based location lauded the proposal for its economic development potential but opponents say it would “destabilize” the Northwest Indiana’s gaming industry. The Indiana House of Representatives’ Public Policy Committee heard testimony...

Local sports

Linton-Stockton lived to play another game, beating the host Rams by one point on a layup at the buzzer in the opening game of the Class 2A Paoli Regional. It’s the only close call for the Miners (27-3) in their run to the state championship game. Linton-Stockton plays at 11:45 a.m. Saturday against...

Crown Point freshman Jesse Mendez hasn’t shied away from lofty goals. After winning a state title this season at 126 pounds as a freshman, Mendez is still focused on a higher target. “That’s my main goal — to be a four-time state champion and go undefeated,” he said. The first step is complete....

Two more players are leaving Valparaiso. Freshman guard Javon Freeman intends to transfer and junior guard Bakari Evelyn will be a graduate transfer. Tuesday’s developments came a day after junior center Derrik Smits said he would depart as a graduate transfer. The 6-foot-3 Freeman became the first...

Photo galleries

Less than 50 miles southeast of Chicago is a 15-mile stretch of shifting sands and towering dunes formed over the centuries by the forces of nature. The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was established as a federal park by Congress in 1966 after a 50-year struggle by conservationists. Take a stroll...More

Less than 50 miles southeast of Chicago is a 15-mile stretch of shifting sands and towering dunes formed over the centuries by the forces of nature. The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was established as a federal park by Congress in 1966 after a 50-year struggle by conservationists. Take a stroll

Indiana

Former Indiana U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh, who championed the federal law banning discrimination against women in college admissions and sports, has died. He was 91. Bayh died early Thursday surrounded by his family at his home in Easton, Maryland, according to a statement released by his family. His...

A deal to sell Gary’s casinos won state approval Friday and could lead to Northwest Indiana’s first land-based casino. The Indiana Gaming Commission approved the sale of the Majestic Star to Spectacle Gaming, an Indianapolis-based firm. Spectacle is hoping to keep one of Majestic’s two gaming licenses...

A pilot was presumed dead after a small plane hit power lines and crashed in a farm field in northern Indiana, authorities said. The plane crashed Thursday night about 2 miles east of Goshen Municipal Airport. The pilot was believed to be the only one aboard, Elkhart County Sheriff Jeff Siegel...

Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, hit his palm on the lectern and raised his arms, his voice getting louder the longer he talked. “What do we have to do? What do we have to do to earn your respect and recognition? What is it? Tell me what it is, and we will do it,” he said. Randolph gave a...

Lifestyles

Area minor league baseball teams are gearing up for their 2019 campaigns, which is great news for families. Minor league teams offer fun promotions and family-friendly, inexpensive entertainment for a fraction of the cost of the big leagues. The tickets are cheaper, the food is cheaper and kids...

Professional wrestling sometimes features comedic elements so fans of either form of entertainment may be interested in an event headlined by former WWE superstar Hornswoggle. Co-presented by Region Live Entertainment, “An Evening With Hornswoggle” on March 30 at the Art Theater in Hobart includes...

Mark Baer, associate professor of acting and directing at Indiana University Northwest, is excited the first performance date of a new production of “A Doll’s House” is already sold out, weeks before opening night. Indiana University Northwest presents “A Doll’s House” April 4-14 at the university’s...

The rhythm and blues singing group Boyz II Men has won multiple Grammy awards and sold millions of albums, but they find fulfillment in their chosen profession elsewhere. “The most satisfying part of our career has been the fans,” said tenor Shawn Stockman, a member of Boyz II Men. “No matter what...

Opinion

It is rare that a leader takes the bull by the horns and corrals support for a cause in which all Americans have a steak. I'm not referring to Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang's cutting-edge decision to oppose circumcision, though voters may reward his foresight in defense of foreskin....

What’s Quickly? It’s where readers sound off on the issues of the day. Have a quote, question or quip? Call Quickly at 312-222-2426 or email quickly@post-trib.com. Only a coward attacks someone who can not defend themselves. And those who choose to defend a coward, are lacking in honesty and integrity...

There is a college-bribery scandal in the news, and every nonwhite college student who was ever mistaken for a janitor, maid or potential assailant just rolled his or her eyes. Rich, privileged — and very often white — people use their money and influence to give their kids a leg up in a rigged...

This is what happens when corporations run the government. As the world was grounding 737 Max airliners this week, following the second crash involving the new jet in five months, the Trump administration, serving as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boeing, declared "no basis to order grounding." This...

Crime

Police said they arrested a Valparaiso man Wednesday after he discharged a gun in his apartment, sending a bullet through the wall and tossed a spent bullet casing in the toilet before police arrived, according to a release. Valparaiso police arrested Gerald Lefere, 52, of the 1900 block of Beech...

Two men were arrested at a Merrillville grocery store Monday because the FBI thought they were about to rob an armored truck, court records show. Reilly Jackson Jr., 23, of Griffith, and Delvin Perkins, 23, of South Holland, Ill., were charged Wednesday in Hammond’s federal court. Jackson was charged...

Adela Perez watched Monday as Drew Carter III told his family he loved them before being led out of the courtroom. “We don’t get to say that to Jessica,” Perez tearfully said outside the Lake County courthouse after the hearing. Perez’s daughter, Jessica Flores, 36, of South Chicago Heights, Ill.,...

One person died and two others were wounded, including a 15-year-old-boy, during a shooting and stabbing Sunday night in Portage precipitated by an outstanding debt, police said. “This was an isolated incident involving subjects who knew each other,” Portage Police Chief Troy Williams said in a...

Most read stories this hour

Two men were arrested at a Merrillville grocery store Monday because the FBI thought they were about to rob an armored truck, court records show. Reilly Jackson Jr., 23, of Griffith, and Delvin Perkins, 23, of South Holland, Ill., were charged Wednesday in Hammond’s federal court. Jackson was charged...

Proponents of a bill that would allow a Gary casino to move to a land-based location lauded the proposal for its economic development potential but opponents say it would “destabilize” the Northwest Indiana’s gaming industry. The Indiana House of Representatives’ Public Policy Committee heard testimony...

Last weekend, Brittany Hyc got a visit from a caseworker to make sure her two small boys were doing all right in a home where there had been allegations of abuse and neglect. The worker, on contract with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, reported back that 2-year-old Ja’hir...

“Lasers are on,” the tour guide announces. “You can blaze.” As beams of light shoot across the inside of the minibus, passengers take their cue to pull out marijuana joints and pipes and light up. A haze of smoke fills the bus, and a dozen smokers generously trade hits with each other. Minutes...

Since Donald Trump became president, so many amazing things have happened, according to Donald Trump. But the thing I most appreciate is how he has, at long last, restored dignity to the office of the presidency. Why, just Wednesday morning, he responded to criticism from the husband of one of...

Despite twice hosting "Saturday Night Live" — appearances in 2004 and 2015 that surely were helpful to his rise — the President of the United States is no longer a fan of the late-night comedy show. “It’s truly incredible that shows like Saturday Night Live, not funny/no talent, can spend all of...

The 2020 presidential campaign has begun in earnest, with a variety of candidates either entering the race or announcing exploratory committees that allow them to begin fundraising. The Iowa Caucuses are months away (Feb. 3, 2020) but candidates are already scrambling for momentum in a crowded...

Attorneys who represent victims of sexual abuse by priests have released what they say is the most comprehensive list yet of Catholic clergy with ties to Illinois who have been accused of misconduct against children. The list includes about 400 priests and lay people who at one time served in parishes...

Chance the Rapper, the hip-hop superstar and aspiring philanthropist, endorsed Toni Preckwinkle’s mayoral campaign Thursday, offering the county board president some star power and a renewed shot at recruiting young voters in the waning days of the city’s historic mayoral election. Chance endorsed...

As the Rock River began to rise near the riverfront village of Machesney Park, homeowner Jack Dillon assembled a crew of contractors, friends and family to shore up his two-story house. The team fortified the perimeter with stacks of sandbags. They arranged and operated an elaborate network of...

CBD has landed at CVS. CVS Health Corp. this week began selling products infused with the trendy, nonintoxicating hemp component at more than 800 of its stores as part of a distribution deal with marijuana company Curaleaf Holdings. Curaleaf announced the agreement during an earnings conference...

A 20-year-old Northwestern University pre-med student charged with sexually assaulting an 18-year-old student was released Wednesday after posting the cash portion of a $50,000 bond, law enforcement officials said. Scott Thomas, 20, a Northwestern freshman from Bernardsville, N.J., is charged with...

With Minnesota coach Richard Pitino out to avenge Louisville’s firing of his father, Rick, at 11:15 a.m. Thursday on CBS, the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64 really gets rolling. By the time Vermont-Florida State tips at 1 p.m. on TBS, four games could be going on simultaneously, what with New Mexico...

Mayoral candidate Toni Preckwinkle has blasted opponent Lori Lightfoot for running as a progressive despite becoming a “wealthy corporate lawyer” at a firm that represents a list of less-than-progressive clients. “For the last 13 years, she has been an equity partner, that’s an owner, of a law...

It was during a rushed but otherwise typical Tuesday morning when Jeff Frank of North Aurora went to wake his 16-month-old son, Emmett, and noticed him in an unusual sleeping position: a yoga child’s pose. When he turned him over, Emmett was already gone. Joe and Nicole Wesolowski, of Naperville,...

In some ways, the state of Chicago’s race for mayor boiled down to a single moment in a televised debate Wednesday night when Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and former federal prosecutor Lori Lightfoot were given the opportunity to ask each other a question. Trailing in recent days...

Despite some obvious reservations, South Side Ald. Willie Cochran pleaded guilty Thursday to a felony charge of wire fraud for misusing his campaign funds for gambling and other personal expenses. It appeared for awhile that Cochran, who passed up a similar deal in November, might not go through...

The Cubs’ season starts March 28 in Texas. Here are six things to know about what to expect in 2019. 1. Yes, this is a season of “reckoning.” “Reckoning” is Cubs President Theo Epstein’s description of what’s at stake in 2019, after a disappointing finish to 2018. In the short term, this is likely...

The New York Stock Exchange community, including more than 300 traders, is suspending its "no jeans allowed" policy on Thursday to celebrate Levi Strauss & Co. returning to the public markets. More than 120 employees from Levi's global offices including its CEO Chip Bergh are taking part in the...

Miller Lite is invading Bud Light’s “Dilly Dilly” medieval kingdom with two attack ads set to air during March Madness broadcasts. The latest salvo in the escalating Corn Syrup War is a mock behind-the scenes look at the Bud Light Super Bowl ads, where the costumed knights and crew crack open cans...

I’ve just taken a good, long hit on the Kasshish pipe, and now my eyes are finally open to the wisdom of Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Kasshish makes you see reality, but it also gives you the munchies, so if you don’t mind, I’d very much like a plate of “Cold Omelets with Crab Meat,”...

President Donald Trump on Wednesday escalated his unrelenting attacks on the late senator from Arizona and former GOP presidential nominee John McCain, who even in death has remained one of Trump's top targets for criticism as fellow Republicans have repeatedly begged him to stop. In a five-minute...

Representatives of a large company have met with village engineers as part of a due diligence process leading to the possible purchase of the McDonald’s campus property in Oak Brook, Village President Gopal Lalmalani said Tuesday. Lalmalani stopped short of identifying the company interested in...

Dear Amy: My 7-year-old son has recently discovered Michael Jackson. I am having a hard time with it. Considering the child-molestation allegations against Jackson, it’s hard to constantly hear his music being played by my child. My son’s interest is at the point where for his recent birthday friends...

An American figure skater has been accused of deliberately kicking a South Korean during warm-ups at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships, triggering a request for an investigation by the sport's global governing body and an accusation of bullying. Mariah Bell, 22, allegedly kicked 16-year-old...